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Advances in ligand-based surface engineering strategies for fine-tuning T cell mechanotransduction toward efficient immunotherapy

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 12h

#OPENACCESS: Advances in ligand-based surface engineering strategies for fine-tuning T cell mechanotransduction toward efficient immunotherapy. Ngoc Luu, Junru Liao, Yifei Fang, and Weiqiang Chen.

T cell-based immunotherapy has recently emerged as a promising strategy to treat cancer, requiring the activation of antigen-directed cytotoxicity to eliminate cancer cells. Mechanical signaling,…

Vortex Flow Pattern Reveals the Membrane Viscosity of a Living Cell

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 1d

Read about the cover art for the newly released issue of Biophysical Journal on the BPS Blog: www.biophysics.org/blog/vortex-...

The membrane viscosity of a cell plays a crucial role in membrane transport and cellular functions. Until now, viscosity measurements have largely relied on lipid model membranes—artificial systems co...

The role of hydrophobic collapse in cytotoxic and functional amyloid oligomerization

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 2d

#OPENACCESS: Through MD simulations of β-endorphin31 and amyloid-β42 peptides, the authors demonstrate that maintaining a collapsed state is essential for aberrant oligomerization, underscoring the role of hydrophobic sequences in stabilizing aggregate structures.

“Amyloid” refers to an insoluble, highly organized protein fibril composed of intermolecular β sheets, known as a cross-β motif. Amyloidogenic proteins are generally driven to aggregate into tightly…

Spatially bound functional heterogeneity drives modular organization in β-cell networks

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 5d

#OPENACCESS: β-cell networks act like neighborhoods with quirky shops—each spot has its specialty, and together they form a modular city! Maja Duh et al. 2025 reveal how spatially bound heterogeneity organizes insulin-secreting communities.

Coordinated responses of pancreatic β-cell networks to changes in extracellular nutrient concentrations are a well-established phenomenon with significant implications for insulin secretion. This…

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 6d

Special issue call for papers: Martin Karplus: In Memoriam.

PIP2 regulation of TRPV4 channels: Binding sites and dynamic coupling

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 7d

Combining structural analysis, docking, and atomistic simulations, this new study identifies a dynamic membrane-facing groove as a potential PIP2 binding site on TRPV4, disputing earlier claims of other proposed binding sites.

Transient Receptor Potential subfamily V4 (TRPV4) is a nonselective cation channel that plays important roles in thermo-sensing, osmoregulation, nociception, and bone homeostasis. The activities of…

Geometry effects on protein mobility in a synapse

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 8d

#OPENACCESS: Protein motion in a synapse is like cars in a roundabout—geometry dictates the traffic flow! Simon Dannenberg et al. 2025 show how shape sculpts protein mobility at these tiny junctions.

It is generally assumed that synaptic function requires a tight regulation of the mobility and localization of synaptic proteins. Evidence for this hypothesis has been difficult to gather. Protein…

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 9d

Special issue call for papers: Viral Biophysics.

Call for Applications: Editor-in-Chief of Biophysical Journal

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 9d

Biophysical Journal seeks candidates to be its next Editor-in-Chief beginning in 2027. Applications and nominations will be accepted until March 1. More information is available at www.biophysics.org/blog/call-for-applications-editor-in-chief-of-biophysical-journal.

The Biophysical Society is seeking the next Editor-in-Chief of the Society’s flagship publication, Biophysical Journal. This appointment will begin January 1, 2027, for one five-year term. The missio...

The lateral stress profile of fluid lipid membranes as revealed by the diffuse interface approach

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Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 12d

#OPENACCESS: The lateral stress profile of fluid lipid membranes as revealed by the diffuse interface approach. Matteo Bottacchiari, Mirko Gallo, Marco Bussoletti, and Carlo Massimo Casciola.

The distribution of lateral stress within a lipid bilayer is of fundamental biological interest as it regulates membrane-protein interactions, with a particular impact on mechanosensitive channels.…

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 13d

Lorenzetti et al. present HiFRAP, an ImageJ/Python tool that extracts kinetic parameters from noisy or imperfect FRAP data, without requiring knowledge of the initial bleach profile. buff.ly/NV1luOp

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 14d

Special issue call for papers: Modeling Biology at Multiple Scales: From Macromolecules to Cells, Dedicated to Jie Liang.

Ciliary wavelength has its limits

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Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 15d

In the New and Notable "Ciliary wavelength has its limits ," Louis G. Woodhams highlights the paper "The wavelength of the ciliary beat in Chlamydomonas saturates at long ciliary lengths ."

Motile cilia are microscopic cellular appendages that beat in fluid to clear mucus from our airways, circulate cerebrospinal fluid in our brains, and determine the left-right asymmetry of our organs…

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 16d

Special issue call for papers: Retinal Proteins: Experiment and Computation.

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Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 19d

Special issue call for papers: Martin Karplus: In Memoriam.

The wavelength of the ciliary beat in Chlamydomonas saturates at long ciliary lengths

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Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 19d

#OPENACCESS: Ciliary waves in Chlamydomonas are like dance moves on a packed floor—once the cilia grow too long, the groove maxes out! Elijah H. Lee et al. 2025 show the beat wavelength saturates at extended lengths.

Cilia and flagella support bending waves that propagate along their lengths. In short cilia, such as those of the motile biflagellate green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the wavelength of the…

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 20d

Special issue call for papers: Viral Biophysics.

Peer Review Week (PRW) is a global celebration of the vital role peer review plays in ensuring the quality and integrity of research.

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 21d

During Peer Review Week, Biophysical Journal thanks all the reviewers and editors who make our journal possible! See events taking place at peerreviewweek.net. #PRW2025
@PeerRevWeek

peerreviewweek.net

Measuring the similarity of single-molecule localization microscopy derived marked point clouds

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 21d

Introducing a new tool for lipid nano-mapping: Savoye et al. combine single-molecule localization microscopy with lipid order probes to compare marked point clouds, capturing both spatial and biophysical features of the membrane.

Cellular membranes are dynamic, heterogeneous structures where lipid nanodomains (e.g., lipid rafts) play key roles in signaling, membrane trafficking, and protein function. Single-molecule…

Exploiting Genetics to Answer Biophysical Questions

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Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 22d

Read about the cover art for the newly released issue of Biophysical Journal on the BPS Blog: www.biophysics.org/blog/exploit...

Cilia and flagella are thin, rod-like organelles that protrude from the cell body and drive the motion of cells through fluids and drive fluids across the cell surface via the propagation of bending w...

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Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 23d

Boland and colleagues combine single-cell mechanical measurements, computational modelling, and transcriptomics to reveal how vascular smooth muscle cells respond to high strain rate, showing how actomyosin drives softening as strain rate increases. buff.ly/TWXdoMY

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Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 26d

Protein condensates growing at cell membranes is like soap bubbles swelling when they cling to a surface! Yohan Lee et al. 2025 show how transmembrane coupling fuels these liquid-like clusters to grow and organize! buff.ly/XkFYmgK

Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 27d

Special issue call for papers: Modeling Biology at Multiple Scales: From Macromolecules to Cells, Dedicated to Jie Liang.